Canada’s Rogers Communications has announced 2016 live sports broadcasting in 4K HDR, and Europe’s broadcasters are shooting in 4K if not yet delivering in it. If you’re in the SF Bay Area, get hands-on with Sony’s 4K kit at the Digital Cinema Society’s preso in Fremont on Tuesday, October20.
It’s been an interesting week for 4K. Rogers Communications in Canada, a quad-play (landline / mobile / Internet / TV) provider, has announced they’ll be broadcasting sports in 4K HDR (high dynamic range) in 2016, as well as offering 4K dramatic shows. Over at The Register, Steve May covers a post-IBC meeting of European broadcasters decidedly less interested in 4K ‘casting, though production and OTT delivery are proceeding apace. Both Roku and Amazon now have 4K streaming STBs, and Tivo’s BOLT adds 4K, too (though like the iPhone 6Plus, it appears to be easily bendable).
Feeling left out? If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’re in luck: the Digital Cinema Society is bringing Sony’s Keith Vidger up from Hollywood’s Digital Motion Picture Center with a raft of 4K goodies to play with: cameras from the FS7 to the F65, and 4K reference monitors to see the pictures on.
There will be in-depth presentations and hands-on time, with remote-phosphor LED lighting from Cineo to round it all off (Cineo’s lights are freakin’ gorgeous; I’d suggest it’s worth the trip just to see them).
PVC’s own Jeremiah Karpowicz recently interviewed DCS’s president James Mathers about the event; consider this a timely reminder.
The event is at Mac House Productions in Fremont, CA, on Tuesday, October 20. Doors open at 6:30pm and the event runs 7:00–9:30. DCS tells me that seats are still available, but you need to sign up: RSVP with your contact details and “Sony Northern Cal” in the subject line to rsvptodcs@digitalcinemasociety.org.
(Here’s the official writeup on the DCS website.)
Disclosure: I’m a DCS member. I have no material connection to Sony’s DMPC, Cineo Lighting, or Mac House Productions, nor have I received any compensation or other blandishments to promote their products or services. Sony has previously hired me to shoot with and present information about some of their 4K cameras at Cine Gear Expo, but I have no connection with this event.